Justice Department Maps Election Day Presence

By Bill Dries

The U.S. Justice Department presence in Shelby County on the Thursday, Aug. 6, election day will include attorneys and others with the Civil Rights Division monitoring polling places across the county.

The Justice Department agreed Tuesday to monitor the elections at the request of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and other Shelby County Democratic Party leaders.

The leaders specifically complained about problems in past elections as well as reports they received during the early voting period that ended Aug. 2 of some voters being told the wrong things by election officials including that they could only vote in the Republican primary.

An attorney from the Civil Rights Division will coordinate the monitors, sending them to various locations and stay in contact with the Shelby County Election Commission should issues arise.

The Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division will also field complaints about the conduct of the election at 1-800-253-3931.

The request for monitors have been a regular part of Memphis elections for decades.